Shopify vs Etsy for Makers (2026): Fees, Control and Using Both

Etsy and Shopify solve different problems for makers. Etsy is a marketplace for handmade, vintage and creative goods: you pay per listing and per sale, and in return your products appear in front of shoppers who already browse Etsy. Shopify is the software for your own online store: you pay a monthly plan and card processing, keep much more of each sale and own the brand, but you have to bring your own visitors.

As of October 2026, a sensible rule of thumb: start on Etsy if you need buyers before you have an audience, and move your core business to a Shopify store once you have repeat customers, a social following or enough orders that Etsy's per-sale fees outweigh a monthly subscription. Many makers keep both, using Etsy for discovery and Shopify for their brand and returning buyers.

Below we compare fees using Etsy's own Sell page and Shopify's pricing page, then walk through control, tools and how to run both. More Shopify guides live in our Shopify hub.

Etsy fees explained

From Etsy's Sell on Etsy page (checked 1 Oct 2026):

• Listing fee: $0.20 per listing. "Listings are active for four months, or until they sell." The fee is billed in USD, so it varies slightly for sellers in other currencies.
• Transaction fee: 6.5% "on the sale price (including the shipping price you set)."
• Payment processing: 3% + $0.25 when you accept payments through Etsy Payments. Etsy notes processing fees "vary by bank country."
• Offsite Ads: a 15% fee on sales that come from Etsy's ads on sites like Google, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Bing. Etsy says the program "is optional for most sellers, but may be required based on how much you make in sales on Etsy in a 12 month period."
• Currency conversion: 2.5% when your listing currency differs from your payment account currency.
• Shop setup: Etsy says you "may be charged a one-time shop set-up fee," shown before you finish setting up.
• No monthly fee: Etsy's page says "No additional monthly fees" for a standard shop.

Etsy also offers optional on-site advertising (Etsy Ads), which makes listings "more visible in Etsy search" and is charged separately from the fees above.

Shopify costs for a maker

Shopify's US pricing:

• Plans: Basic $39 a month billed monthly or $29 billed yearly; Grow $105 or $79; Advanced $399 or $299. The old low-cost Starter plan isn't available to new stores.
• Trial: 3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months.
• Card processing with Shopify Payments: 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic for standard US cards, 3.5% + 30¢ for premium cards such as Amex, and an extra 1% for international cards.
• No listing fees and no commission when you use Shopify Payments. If you use another payment provider instead, Shopify adds 2% on Basic.
• Other costs to plan for: a domain, an optional paid theme (free Horizon themes are available), apps and, most importantly, marketing to bring people to your store.

For a full breakdown, see our guide to Shopify pricing plans.

Side-by-side fee example

Here's a $40 item with free shipping (shipping built into the price), sold to a US buyer paying by standard card. Etsy fees assume the processing fee applies to the $40 sale; actual amounts can vary with tax and bank country.

Shopify saves about $2.79 per organic sale compared with Etsy in this example. The $39 monthly plan is covered at around 14 orders a month (about 11 orders on yearly billing). Compared with an Offsite Ads sale, the saving is $8.79 per order.

The catch: those numbers assume the same sale happens on both. On Etsy, the fees buy you a place in a marketplace where shoppers already search for handmade goods. On Shopify, you need traffic from Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, email, search or ads, and that takes time or money.

Traffic and discovery

Etsy says it helps you "Reach millions of shoppers on and off Etsy" through Etsy search, Etsy Ads and Offsite Ads. For a new maker with no audience, that built-in demand is the main reason to start there. The flip side is competition: your listings sit next to similar items from other sellers, and Etsy's search algorithm decides who sees what.

Shopify has no marketplace of its own in the Etsy sense, but it connects to many channels: Google & YouTube, Facebook & Instagram, TikTok, the Shop app, and AI channels such as ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Microsoft Copilot through Shopify's Agentic Storefronts. Every visitor from those channels lands on your brand, not a marketplace results page. For search traffic, our Shopify SEO best practices are a good starting point.

Control, branding and customer relationships

On Etsy, your shop uses Etsy's layout, Etsy's checkout and Etsy's rules, and buyers think of the purchase as "something I bought on Etsy." That's fine for discovery, but it limits how much brand you can build.

On Shopify, you control:

• Design: any theme, your own domain and your own product storytelling.
• Customer data: customer records and marketing consent sit in your admin, so you can email or text past buyers through Shopify Messaging (10,000 free emails a month, then $1 per 1,000).
• Offers: bundles, discount codes, subscriptions, gift cards and loyalty programs through Shopify features and apps.
• Policies: your own shipping, returns and custom-order process.

Tools makers care about

Using Etsy and Shopify together

Running both is common. A few practical points:

• Inventory sync: Shopify's own Marketplace Connect app covers Amazon, Walmart, Target Plus and eBay, not Etsy. To sync listings and stock between Shopify and Etsy, you'll need a third-party app from the Shopify App Store, so compare their pricing, reviews and sync limits before installing.
• Pricing: some makers price slightly higher on Etsy to cover its fees. Check Etsy's current policies before setting price differences.
• Brand building: put your own domain on packaging inserts, social profiles and email signatures so returning customers have a direct route to your Shopify store, while following Etsy's rules about communicating with Etsy buyers.
• Moving over: if your Shopify store becomes the main channel, our Etsy to Shopify migration guide covers moving products and reviews.

Which is right for you?

Etsy makes sense when

• You're just starting and need buyers before you have an audience.
• Your volume is low enough that per-sale fees cost less than a monthly plan.
• Your products fit what Etsy shoppers search for (handmade, vintage, personalized, craft supplies).

Shopify makes sense when

• You sell regularly enough that Etsy's 10% or more in fees exceeds a monthly subscription.
• You have, or are building, your own audience on social media or email.
• You want to sell at markets, wholesale to shops or build a recognizable brand.

Conclusion

Etsy is a low-risk way to find your first buyers, and it charges for that access on every sale, especially when Offsite Ads are involved. Shopify costs a monthly fee and needs your own marketing, but keeps more of each order and gives you the customer relationship. Many makers start on Etsy, add a Shopify store once they have steady sales and keep Etsy running as a discovery channel. If you want help setting up that store, eSEOspace offers Shopify website design.

Frequently asked questions